Palace performance Members of the Chinese court celebrate spring during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Dominic Lieven's book sets the lives and achievements of emperors in the context of their families and advisors
In the Shadow of the Gods: The Emperor in World History by Dominic Lieven Allen Lane, 528 pages, £35
In this exploration of imperial figures, global history meets the "great man" (and even the occasional" "great woman") theory of leadership for a lively and at times surprisingly personal romp through the past 3,000 years of Eurasian history.
Lieven focuses on a carefully curated selection of empires and the emperors who led them, making comparisons between the different examples. He also draws analogies with modern institutions, even going so far as to highlight relevant contemporary individuals such as politicians and monarchs - New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern, for example, dealing with the demands of having a baby while holding power, as did the Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa. Using this approach, Lieven manages to make the subject accessible and relatable.
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Bu hikaye BBC History Magazine dergisinin May 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The King They Couldn't Kill -Want to know why Henry VII is remembered as an intensely suspicious king, wracked by paranoia? The answer, writes Nathen Amin, lies in his death-defying rise to power
Henry’s wary nature is typically attributed to his shaky claim to the throne. The first Tudor monarch was unable to escape the taunt that he was a usurper with no right to call himself king. In fact, his renowned paranoia was the inevitable consequence of a traumatic youth – a trait ingrained long before he harboured ambitions to wear a crown. If we delve deeper into Henry’s background, we can draw a fuller picture of one of our most circumspect of monarchs – one that might elicit sympathy for a long misunderstood king.
The Spy Who Hoodwinked Hitler - Dummy tanks at El Alamein. Bogus generals in Algiers. Sham armies on D-Day. All were ruses masterminded by Dudley Clarke. Robert Hutton tells the story of the British soldier who made an art form of duping the Nazis
Examining the reconnaissance photos, Behrendt was convinced that the Allies weren’t in any hurry. They were constructing some kind of pipeline towards the southern end of their line, probably to carry water, which was barely halfway completed. There were supply dumps appearing in the south as well – always a telltale clue about where an attack would come. True, a large number of trucks were parked at the northern end of the line, about 25 miles back from the front, but they hadn’t moved for weeks.
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